News & Updates from the park

“Hey Dad, Is My Groomer Professionally Certified?”

Here is a link to a news item that was featured on The National’s “Go Public” this week. An Ottawa dog groomer slashed this American Eskimo’s neck with a razor. The dog required emergency surgery to save its life.

Dog groomers in Ontario and British Columbia told CBC News that rapid expansion in the industry has led some shops to cut corners, especially by giving quick shaves instead of cutting the hair, which takes longer.

The news story highlights the need for dog owners to use groomers that are professionally certified by one of the industry’s licensing bodies – Canadian Professional Groomer, International Society of Canine Cosmologists, International Pet Groomers Association and National Dog Groomers Association.

In Ontario, the National Agency of Pet Grooming Schools is lobbying for provincial legislation to require all dog groomers to be fully trained and licensed.

Victoria Shroff, a Vancouver lawyer who focuses on animal law, says that since there are no regulations, owners should be much more aware of the hazards. “A dog could be very seriously injured and could actually lose his life, which is not something most people would associate with dog grooming,”

She suggests dog owners ask their veterinarian to recommend a groomer, then ask a lot of questions at the shop and stick around to observe how the dogs are handled.

The video has a shorter summary of what happened to this dog; the longer audio version gives the full story and details of serious other injuries that dogs have sustained at the hands of unqualified groomers.

http://www.cbc.ca/thenational/indepthanalysis/gopublic/story/2012/04/27/bc-doggroomer.html